West Virginia University Looking for Director of Survey Research/Survey Methodologist – Office of Health Affairs Full Time

Description 

West Virginia University Health Science Center is currently accepting applications for a Director of Survey Research/Survey Methodologist for the Office of Health Affairs

About the Opportunity

West Virginia University’s (WVU) Office of Health Affairs is seeking candidates for a full-time Director of Survey Research. As a senior research scientist, this position applies expert knowledge of survey research methods, complex data analysis, and population health factors to manage and direct statewide and population focused surveys for the Office of Health Affairs, WVU and other state and agency partners, as the Office of Health Affairs frequently engages in collaborative efforts with the WV Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR) and other state and nonprofit partners that hold a mission to improve the health of West Virginians. This position will be responsible for developing and overseeing survey research programs for the Office of Health Affairs. Overarching responsibilities include developing survey administration approaches and methods, implementing multi-mode (web, phone and mail-based) statewide surveys, and providing oversight and management of survey statisticians and epidemiologists. This position uses advanced statistical tools such as the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) and R, as well as data visualization and dashboard creation tools such as Tableau. This position also works with the Health Affairs Health Data Analytics in the development of data visualization. 

The Office of Health Affairs serves as the coordinating office for WVU’s State-University partnership with the WV DHHR. Ideal candidates will have work experience that aligns with the Office of Health Affair’s purpose and the mission of DHHR’s Bureau for Medical Services, Bureau for Social Services, Bureau for Behavioral Health or Bureau for Public Health, and an interest in improving the health of underserved populations, particularly rural, Appalachian populations. Options for virtual work are available.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

*     13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)

*     24 annual leave (vacation) days per year

*     18 sick days per year

(for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family’s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)

*     WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits (this position is a benefits-eligible non-classified staff position)

*     401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ’s.

*     Wellness programs

What you’ll do:

Administrative

*     Work as part of the Office of Health Affairs leadership team to advance the partnership between the WVU Health Sciences Center and the WV DHHR.

*     Ensure that survey research activities are compliant with university-level policies for the responsible conduct of research and data stewardship as well as federal, and state policies.  

*     Provide consultation to Office of Health Affairs leadership, WVU faculty and Office of Health Affairs partners regarding preparation of survey design and methodology. 

*     Assist the Assistant Vice President for the Office of Health Affairs with survey research program development and the implementation of common standards and tools to drive and facilitate the successful delivery of survey research. 

*     Directly supervises survey research scientist statisticians and epidemiologists within the Office of Health Affairs. 

*     Independently provides leadership on all survey research functions for the Office of Health Affairs in collaboration with the Health Affairs leadership.  

*     Assists with strategic planning and communicates survey research needs to Office of Health Affairs leadership team. 

*     Works closely with WVU Health Sciences Center and the Office of Health Affairs leadership to proactively identify and resolve issues that may adversely affect survey research programs. 

*     Directs special projects as assigned by the Assistant Vice President.

Survey Research 

*     Lead all survey operations for the Office of Health Affairs, including meeting with clients to design surveys and collaborate with the Executive Director of Operations to develop survey administration teams.

*     Provide survey methodological leadership for the Office of Health Affairs related to:

*     Overseeing all survey projects and proposals

*     Developing survey designs

*     Developing and implementing innovative methodologies to improve data collection and instrumentation

*     Overseeing survey statistical analyses and reports

*     Presenting research findings at leading survey conferences

*     Coordinate with other researchers to identify the most effective survey method for all OHA supported surveys.

*     Oversee all aspects of survey design including but not limited to item development and instrumentation; sampling; questionnaire development; survey procedures, interviewer training, data collection methods, data editing, weighting; imputation; the measurement of nonresponse and nonresponse bias; and the analysis of complex sample and data file development.

*     Oversees the execution and fielding of all Office of Health Affairs surveys, whether by phone, mail, online, or other delivery.

*     Oversea survey programming and testing to determine the time required for completion.

*     Overseeing the assessment for cognitive testing of survey items and implementation of cognitive testing when appropriate.

*     Oversees implementing validated survey items or implements appropriate validity testing of survey items when appropriate. 

*     Oversees survey data analysis and the preparation of reports; delivers or distributes reports to present survey findings to clients.

*     Identify opportunities for potential collaborations between the Health Sciences Center and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources as well as other state and nonprofit partners in survey research.

*     Prepares reports as required by the Office of Health Affairs. Communicates results of survey projects with relevant leadership and stakeholders.

*     Performs other related duties as assigned by the Assistant Vice President.

*     Contributes to building a national reputation for excellence in research and scholarship for the Office of Health Affairs